Toys of yesteryear: How we made dolls, tops and toy guns. By CS Wan Today, as I watch my grandchildren play with their Barbie do...

Thursday, January 3, 2013

How to make decorative mushrooms for the garden

How to make decorative mushrooms for the garden

By C S Wan

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make your own and unique

mushrooms for your garden.

Mushrooms among the flowers

Things you may require1. A roll of plastic coated clothesline wire2. White cement3. A roll of thin wire4. A small piece of chicken wire5. A small piece of mesh wire6. A pair of wire cutter7. A pair of pliers8. A piece of cardboard9. Acrylic paint

InstructionsPlease refer to above diagrams1. Cut four pieces of wire about 30 cm long from a plastic- coated clothesline wire.2. Tie together the middle of the four pieces of wire with thin wire, leaving about 6 cm at each end untied. 3. Bend outward one end of the loose wires to form an umbrella shape that will fit into the plate.4. Place the bent end on a piece of chicken wire and secure it with a thin wire.5. Get a plastic plate/bowl, preferably one that resembles the cap of a mushroom.6. Place the end which is secured with chicken wire in the plate.7. Pour in the wet white cement. Ensure it has the right consistency. Leave it to dry. 8. Get a fairly hard cardboard ( about 18 cm in height ) and roll it into a cylinder. 9. Insert the cylinder into the tied wires.10. Carefully pour in the wet white cement into the cylinder.11. When it is completely dry, bend the loose ends outward. Remove the mushroom from the plastic plate.12. Place the bent ends on a rectangular piece of wire mesh and secure them with thin wire.13. Place the secured wire mesh in a shallow cardboard box (eg. cover of shoe-box). Pour in the wet cement. This will form the base for the mushroom. 14. When the base is partially dry you can score it with a plastic fork to make it look like the bark of a tree. 15. Suggestions: You can make mushrooms with different sizes and shapes and attach them to the same base.You can also make or buy decorative items and attach/glue them to the mushroom. Choose the preferred colour / colours for the mushrooms and paint them with acrylic paint.

About Me

Hi,welcome to my blog.
Why is the blog named 'theperanakanconnection'? Well, firstly I am a simple peranakan who hails from Melaka. My initial intention was to write something about the peranakan and their culture, but somehow found myself writing on other subjects with which I am more familiar. Anyway, to find more about the peranakan you can view the above video on Youtube entitled 'The Melaka Story_Simply Peranakan' which was produced by a group of UKM students.Pl.click on the first photo.
Hope you enjoy the writings and photos.
Your comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.